Seoul, Aug 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) South Korea's exports of instant noodles hit a fresh all-time high in the first half on the increasing popularity of Korean pop culture, latest data revealed on Sunday.
Exports of instant noodles, or "ramyeon" in Korean, came to $383.4 million in the January-June period, according to the data from the food industry and the Korea Customs Service.
The amount was up 19.9 per cent from the same period a year earlier when ramyeon exports rose to a record-high $319.69 million, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The rise is attributed to the growing popularity of K-culture and a rise in demand for food that can be easily cooked at home amid anti-pandemic curbs on public gatherings.
Ramyeon exports have been on the rise since 2015, with their growth gaining speed since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic that led to a rise in demand for easily cooked food.
In the first half of 2020 when coronavirus infections quickened, exports of ramyeon spiked 37.4 per cent from a year earlier.
"Demand for K-food has been on a steady rise thanks to K-content," a food industry official said. "A growing number of large-scale retailers in foreign countries are dealing with Korean ramyeon."
China was the largest market for ramyeon in the first half, with $91.91 million worth of products sold there.
The US and Japan followed with instant noodles exports standing at $47.86 million and $30.32 million, respectively, according to the data.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz